


And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

by chaineddove



Category: Kobato
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-21
Updated: 2008-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-28 11:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/307492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaineddove/pseuds/chaineddove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kobato discovers holiday illumination and asks questions about the nonsensical nature of certain carols.  Fujimoto does something nice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dev_chieftain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dev_chieftain/gifts).



> A Yule 2008 gift fic. The prompt was: “the emerald lightning bird,” and the result is... somewhat abstract.

Her response to the first holiday lights of the season is to gasp delightedly and clap her hands, her eyes wide and full of awe. Fujimoto – who has seen holiday lights about a thousand times and nearly fell off the roof at his part-time job while putting them up two days ago – is a little taken aback at her candid joy. Irritated, he tells her to shut her mouth before something flies in and she obediently covers it with one mittened hand. The mittens are pink and purple and lumpy – she has already babbled to him all about her landlady’s two daughters and their lovely gift – and match the ridiculous hat on her head.

“They’re just lights,” he tells her.

“Oh,” she says with something approaching reverence, “oh, but they’re so wonderful!”

He shrugs to hide his discomfort at her guilelessness and tells her, “Move it, or we’re going to be late to work.”

***

He plays the piano and doesn’t quite watch as she sings along with the children, her voice bright and clear as a bell. “Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!”

“Why are there so many birds?” a little girl demands.

“Yes, why? My mommy says Christmas is someone’s birthday! Do you give people birds for their birthday?”

“I thought it was just for toys and cake!”

“My daddy says it’s a holiday from another country.”

“Well, my big sister says it’s a time to spend with her boyfriend! She’s never said anything about birds, either - ”

“Maybe if I ask, Mommy will get me a canary - ”

“Why don’t we all make some birds to decorate our tree?” Sayaka intercedes smoothly, holding out a stack of multi-colored origami paper.

The children run after her, but Kobato lingers. “Why _are_ there so many birds?” she asks.

Looking at the cheerful openness of her face, he can’t quite bring himself to tell her that the birds are probably gifts meant for the dinner table. “How should I know?” he says instead. “Figure it out for yourself.”

“You’re right!” she tells him, immediately fired up. “I need to understand this on my own!” She runs into the next room to flop on the floor with a rustle of her full skirt and pick up a sheet of origami paper. Shaking his head, Fujimoto goes to the kitchen to start preparing the children’s afternoon snack.

***

“I’ve been trying and trying, but I can’t figure it out,” she complains a few days later. He has somehow been maneuvered into escorting her home by Sayaka, and she is taking her time, looking around as they pass brightly decorated storefronts. The gray day is fading into twilight, and the lights are winking on one by one.

She is clutching her scowling stuffed dog and nearly drops it when she trips with a high-pitched yelp. Fujimoto catches her before she can go down on the ice, partially because she looks likely to let her nose break in her desperate attempts to keep the dog from harm. “Watch where you’re going,” he grumbles.

“I’m sorry! She exclaims, bowing and nearly losing her balance again. “I’m sorry! I was just thinking about the birds and - ”

“Don’t do too much of that, or you’ll hurt yourself,” he tells her acidly.

“Really?” she asks, wide-eyed.

“You’ll believe any damn thing, won’t you?” he asks, exasperated.

“That’s what Ioryo – I mean, my very good friend says,” she tells him candidly. “He says, Dobato, you’ll believe any damn thing!”

“Smart friend,” Fujimoto says, secretly wondering how anyone can be sweet enough to unconditionally love someone regardless of how often they’re insulted by that person.

“Oh, yes! He’s very smart,” she says. “But he doesn’t know about the birds, either.” She looks thoughtful. “Or maybe he just didn’t want to tell me. He says it’s a waste of my time to wonder about stupid old songs, and he also says - ”

“Come with me,” Fujimoto cuts off. She blinks at him. “Will you just come!” he repeats, incensed. For some reason, he is inexplicably annoyed at the fact that someone else is teasing her. Her cheerful recounting of it isn’t helping matters, either.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“Listen, come or don’t come, I don’t care. Just stop asking questions.” She follows him, blue dog in hand.

***

There is a giant Christmas tree across from the department store. They stop in front of it just as the last vestiges of daylight fade away. “What are we - ”

She gasps and falls silent as the lights come on, starting with a flash from the top and trickling down. The star on top of the tree is all golden green sparks. “Oh,” she says, “look at it. Just look! It’s just like a lightning bird came from the sky and perched there! It’s so beautiful! This is why we sing about birds at Christmas, isn’t it? I never would have guessed that on my own! Thank you, Fujimoto-kun!”

He looks and decides that yeah, if he squints a little, it kind of looks that way. He doesn’t really know why he brought her here, so it’s an unexpected bonus that she has drawn her own confusing conclusion. “There you go,” he tells her.

He knows he’s being an idiot, but her beaming smile seems brighter than all the lights put together.


End file.
